Port Charlotte, Fla. - The Mount Saint Mary College Baseball team finished its Florida trip on Tuesday evening, sweeping SUNY Cobleskill in a doubleheader by scores of 7-3 and 5-2. Junior John Santana (Warwick, N.Y.) went 4-for-4 at the dish in the first contest and then picked up the win on the mound in the nightcap.

Mount Saint Mary 7 - SUNY Cobleskill 3
The Knights got the scoring going early in game one as both Steven Mirra (Wallingford, Conn.) and Santana singled with one out in the top of the first to start an early rally. After a Santana steal, Dominick Marzigliano (Highland Mills, N.Y.) singled in a pair of runs to give the Mount a 2-0 lead. After a Tom Huvane (Eastchester, N.Y.) hit by pitch and a Michael Doxey (Highland, N.Y.) single, Jack Goodwin (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) grounded into a fielder's choice that plated a third run of the inning.

The Mount added a fourth run after Goodwin stole second and the throw was deflected into center field, giving Huvane the ability to score from third. SUNY Cobleskill answered in the bottom half of the inning as Mitchell Holmes knocked in a run with a single to center and Felix Pacheco drove in a second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to left field.

The Knights added two more runs in the second inning as Santana doubled down the right field to drive in Mirra and then Santana scored from second on a SUNY Cobleskill error on the following play. The Fighting Tigers scratched out a run in the bottom of the second as Eddy Garcia reached on an error that knocked in Frank Leger from third. Mount Saint Mary starter Sal Rizzo (Smithtown, N.Y.) limited the damage in the inning as he stranded the bases loaded after getting an infield pop up and a groundout to shortstop. 

The Knights added an additional run in the bottom of the fourth on a Doxey sacrifice fly that scored Mirra, who reached on an error to start the inning.

Alexander Maher (Mineola, N.Y.) entered in relief for the Knights in bottom of the sixth as he struck out three in two hitless innings of work. Rizzo earned the win, going five innings and allowing five hits, zero earned runs and struck out three.

Devin Lewis took the loss for SUNY Cobleskill as he threw four innings, allowing 8 hits and seven runs (three earned). Garcia finished the day 2-for-4 and Holmes and Pacheco had the two runs batted in for the Fighting Tigers.

Santana added two runs scored and a run batted in to his four hit game as Mirra finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored, Marzigliano was 1-for-2 with two RBI's and Huvane finished 1-for-1 with three hit by pitches,

Mount Saint Mary 5 - SUNY Cobleskill 2

The Fighting Tigers got on the board first in the top of the first as Garcia was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then scored on an Mount Saint Mary error. Pacheco singled to left with runners at first and second but Holmes was gunned down at the plate by Justin Maldonado (Cold Spring, N.Y.). 

The Knights countered with a run of its own following a steal of second by Doxey where the catcher tried to pick off Goodwin at third and the throw went wide down the left field line to score Goodwin.

Both teams were held scoreless until the bottom of the fourth where the Knights plated two runs. After a Doxey leadoff single, Michael DiGiovanni (Shirley, N.Y.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to move him into scoring position. Freshman Liam Merlin (Reading, Mass.) laced a two out RBI double down the left field line to give the Mount the first lead of the contest. Anthony Collura (Franklin Square, N.Y.) followed it up with a RBI single to right field to add a second run of the inning.

The Mount scored its fourth run of the game in the following inning when DiGiovanni drove in Mirra with a base hit to right center. Cobleskill cut the lead to two on a hit to right center by Jason Sweredoski. Matt Borriello limited the damage in the inning as he got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.

Mount Saint Mary added an insurance run in the sixth as a Mirra infield single knocked in Maldonado to give the Knights a three run lead. Senior Nick Zestanakis (Bayside, N.Y.) picked up his first save of the season with a scoreless seventh to give the Knights its fourth win in its last five games.

Santana picked up the win, throwing five innings and allowing three hits, one run (zero earned) and struck out seven. Tim Curtis took the loss for the Fighting Tigers as he threw five innings, allowing seven hits and four runs (three earned). 

Eight different Knights hitters finished with a base hit and five different players had a run scored while Mirra led the way finishing the nightcap 2-for-3 with a run scored and a run batted in.

The Mount returns to New York as it begins Skyline Conference this weekend when it travels to Maritime on Saturday and St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Sunday. Both doubleheaders are scheduled for 12:00 p.m. starts.